Improved mode of driving propeller-screws



' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

R. G. JACKSON, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

IMPROVED MODE OF DRIVING PROPELLER-SCREWS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,228., dated April 21, 1863.

To rtZZy whom t may concern: v -V Be itknownthat I, R. C. JACKSON, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Driving Propeller-Screws; andlI do hereby declare that the following is a full and complete description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to 'the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Fignrel is a 4perspective view, and Fig. 2 is a side view.

Like letters refer to like parts.

The nature of my invention relates, first, in having the crank-shaft that connects with the engine inline with the outboard-shaft orV center of the wheelin other words, the sh'at't is in two parts, and placed end to end; second, in having the outboard and inboard shafts so arranged in regard to each other that they can be coupled togetherand run byA the-direct action of the-engine; land, third, in the compound gears and counter-shaft, by means of which I quadruple the motion of the screw, with wheels of small diameter, while the outboard and inboard .shafts are caused to rotatein the same direction, w heth er propelled by means of gears or by the direct action of the engine.

In the accompanying drawings, A repre! sentis the inboard'shatt. This is secured in suitable bea-rin gs, C, and to the inner end is attached the crank-Wheel D. Immediately 4within the bearings of the shaft A is placed the driving-wheel E, the diameter of which is suited to the size of the vessel-say, tive and a half feet. Directlyabove `the shaft A is placed the counter-shaft F, suitably hung in boxes. The inner end of this shaft is provided with a pinion, G, having half' the diameter of the driving-wheel E, into which it gears. The opposite end ot' this shaft is provided with a driving-gear, H, of twice the diameter of the pinion G, being equal to the wheel E. upon its inner end a pinion, I, having the diameter of the pinion G.

The shafts A and B, being placed in line with each other, it follows that the combined action of the gears E G and H I will give the outboard-shaft B the same direction of rotation as that of the inboard-'shaft A'.

The shaft B, oroutboard-shaft, hasI endof the shaft B in the usual manner. Upon i the outer end of.l the shaft A is secured a coupling, K. This coupling is placed close to the end of the shaft outside of the bearings, and rmly secured by a feather-key and set-screw, or both. Alike coupling, L, is placed upon the inner end of the shaft B and secured by a feather-key and'set-screw, so that this coupling can be moved upon the shaft at pleasure.

In ordinary running by means of ,the counter-shaft and gears, the coupling L is shoved back upon the shaft, as seen in Fig. 1, in which case the propeller-screw J. has four revolu-A` tions to the crank-shaft one, 'but these (lider` ent velocities may be varied by changing the i relative diameters of the gear-wheels and p inions.

In case of any de'rangement of the gears, I

can in a few minutes7 Vtime uncouple the counter-shaft F, as shown in Fig. 2, and then by uniting the couplings K and L by Ameans of bolts a a', Fig. 2, run the screw by the direct action of' the engine, without the intervention of the intermediate gear and countershaft'F, though in this case`the motion of the screw corresponds with the strokes of the engine. In this manner a boat can be carried into port with ease and safety, though with less speed. This is an important consideration in case of an accident to the gears while at sea. i

Another important consideration is presented by the fact that by shafts A and B in line with each other the thrust of the outboard-shaft is wholly upon the boxes of the said shaft, thus entirely obviating the dangerl of getting the conneotingrod and cylinder out of line with each other. Y Vhat I claim as myimprovement, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is l. Placing the crank-shaft that connects with the engine in line with the outboardshaft, as specified. v

2. Ihe hereindcscribed arrangement for coupling the outboard and `inboardsh`afts together, for the purpose set forth.

3. The arrangement of the compound gearwheels E G and H I and counter-shaft F, for the objects herein specified.

R. C. JACKSON.

Witnesses J. BRAINERD,

The propeller-screw J is secured to the outer C. T. MEHAFFEY. v

having the two 

